CHICAGO, IL – August 12, 2016 – The Loretto Hospital received 3
out of 5 stars in the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, a new quality
measures by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which
was recently released for the first time.
CMS rated more than 3,600 hospitals across the country on a one-to five-star
scale based on 64 of the 100 measures it uses to report hospital performance
on its Hospital Compare website. The consumer-oriented website is designed
to help individuals, their family members, and caregivers compare how
well hospitals care for patients in an easy to understand way. The new
star rating summarizes data from existing quality measures including death
and infection rates, readmissions, and patient experience.
With the new rating system in place, many the nation’s top performing
and most prestigious hospitals did not receive a 5-star rating, not even
the front runners in Illinois. Of the 46 hospitals ranked within a 25-mile
radius of The Loretto Hospital, Loretto was one of four safety-net hospitals
to receive three stars. In all, only 17 hospitals received a rating of
three out of five stars, putting them in the 60th percentile and ranking
them No. 28 in Illinois. Nine hospitals received a 4-star rating and only
one hospital received five stars. Included in the 3-star rating category
were Northwestern Memorial and the University of Chicago hospitals, both
of which are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as two of the nation’s
highest performing hospitals, medical research and teaching facilities.
“Three stars is good….especially considering how well we compared
to some of the most premier hospitals. And when I look at how proactive
The Loretto Hospital has been in our approach to administering quality of
care to our patients by integrating more specialty services and evidence-based
healthcare practices through the coordination of care, I think our strategy
is working. Our patients and the Austin community is starting to take
notice of all the improvements we are putting in place,” said Dr.
Sonia Mehta, the chief medical officer and CEO of Loretto Hospital.
In less than five years, Loretto has realized sustainable growth and improvements
throughout the hospital, and created health care programs which have all
worked in concert to promote its main priorities– extending excellent
patient care and increasing patient satisfaction. “Enhancements
such as: purchasing the latest medical technology to improve patient outcomes;
modernizing our facility so that patients will receive quality care in
a safe, holistic environment; and expanding our medical services and programs
through the coordination of care to meet the complex needs of our patients,
are part of our overall long-term strategy to offer every patient a valuable
experience,” Dr. Mehta said.
In addition to the 3-star rating it received from CMS, Loretto’s
new improvements have paid off in the form of an ‘A’ grade
it received on its Hospital Safety Score from Leapfrog Group, another
agency which rates hospitals nationwide to help consumers make better
informed decisions about the type of health care they want to receive.
“Healthcare reform is giving patients more control over how they
receive care. They are shopping for healthcare like consumers, and are
managing their health care costs more efficiently. With the vast majority
of our patients being recipients of Medicare and Medicaid, these rankings
are important to us because it is a testament to our patients that we
value every single person who walks through our doors seeking care regardless
of their ability to pay or what type of insurance they have. Our goal
moving forward is to maintain our Leapfrog ‘A’ grade and to
achieve a 4-star or better CMS rating,” Dr. Mehta concluded.